Five Times When Liz Almost Smiled
by orphan mia
Summary: The Five Times when Elizabeth Sherman almost smiled and the one time she did. It's HB/Liz, short and sweet, enjoyable. Read and Review! one-shot!


The Five Times Liz Almost Smiled, and the One Time She Did

A/N: I've been reading a lot of Star Trek fic, and they have this type of fiction so I thought it would be cute. Please Read and Review, I am open to all kinds of reviews, even flames! Read and Review!

I

Liz was twelve when she first met Hellboy. Looking back, he was patient, to be dealing with such a cold, apathetic girl. She never spoke a word to him, though he would keep on talking as if she wasn't being extremely rude.

All she had wanted to do was to die in peace. Die and go to Hell for the pain she had caused others with her terrible, terrible curse. But Hellboy, a big... demonic-looking fellow would not have it.

He brought her breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. He would visit her on his breaks, and would talk about things. Cats, some man named Manning, another person called Abe, and his father.

Months passed, and still, not one word from Liz.

At ten o'clock at night, Hellboy knocked on her door. Liz sat up in her bed as he opened the door. He was dressed in pajama pants without a shirt. He had his hands behind his back and a big grin on his face.

"Hey there, Elizabeth." He nudged the door shut with his foot. "It was Manning's birthday today. Normally I wouldn't give a crap about it, but I figured I'd nab this for ya."

Liz's brown eyes widened slightly at a rather large slice of chocolate cake. Hellboy placed the plate on her bed and was digging around in his pockets, his tongue caught between his teeth in frustration.

Nimble fingers reached out and touched the plate.

"Ah ha!" Liz froze. "Here it is, I swear, I haven't used it, I'm not a creep." He had produced a plastic fork. "Here ya go."

He held it out for her. Liz reached forward and took it into her small hand. She took in a deep breath without even thinking about it.

"Thank you."

Silence.

Hellboy's mouth dropped and even Liz seemed a little surprised at the sound of her own voice.

"You're a sly one, aren't you?"

Liz's lips twitched, and for the first time since the accident, she didn't feel like dying.

II

Elizabeth Sherman took a deep breath and closed her eyes, focusing on the very center of her body. Her brow furrowed, and suddenly... relaxation.

Brown eyes opened to see blue flames lazily lapping at her skin. She was nineteen and an insane asylum (though she checked herself in) and her mouth twitched. She flexed her fingers, and the flame vanished.

She recalled the fire and dismissed it fifteen more times, just to be sure.

That night, she went to bed with a crooked slant on her lips.

III

Myers is a nice guy. He's trying his best, Liz can tell. He's trying not to lose his job, he's trying to be friends with everybody, and he's trying to be all he can be. Hellboy was right with calling him Boyscout. Liz takes his picture so she'll remember him.

She looks at the photograph, her thumb smudging the edge. He's cold, his breath frozen in the air, and he's holding a cup of coffee. The tip of his nose is rosy and he's so relieved that Liz is mellow, not red, and doesn't eat rotten eggs. It's strange how comforting normalcy can be.

Liz sits in her room at the B.P.R.D and places the photo on her nightstand.

Yeah, Myers is a nice guy. A nice guy who deserves a nice girl. Liz goes to the kitchen at three in the morning and takes out three hard rolls, a jar of peanut butter, and three bananas. A few minutes later, she is kicking Hellboy's door because her arms are full.

She hears grumbling and he opens the door, ready to bicker and complain at whomever was interrupting his rest, but stopped when he saw her. Liz smirked, but it was tired and sad.

"I made your favorite."

He sighed, and she relaxed. He waved her in, closing the door behind her.

"Yeesh, Sparky, isn't it past your bedtime?"

IV

It's a well known fact that Hellboy has feelings for Liz. Abe knew, Professor Bruttenholm had known, Manning knew, John knew, and even Liz knew. But feelings could not be trusted.

Feelings could change with the drop of a hat. Feelings could be misunderstood and manipulated. Feelings could become a weakness... and that was never a good thing.

Liz sat in the Observatory, replaying the kiss in her head over and over. The feeling of his lips on hers, how right it was. How it didn't matter that she was on fire, how he brought her back... how he saved her life...

Red was a nice guy, he just didn't know it. Liz bit her lip and thought about how he had always saved her... from herself. He knew how to make her laugh, he knew that her favorite color was purple, and he knew that there was no better comfort food than peanut butter toast and chocolate milk.

She didn't even realize that she was on fire until she heard a discreet cough from the doorway.

John Myers stood there, looking a bit tired but still concerned. The moon shone on her, and the reflection of the blue flames off of the tiles was hypnotizing. Liz looked away, ashamed.

"Hey... um..." Ever so awkward, John waited until she withdrew the flames. He somehow manifested a handkerchief. "Here."

Liz took it, dabbing at the tears she hadn't realized she had been shedding.

"Thanks."

They stood there, not knowing who should be the first to explain themselves. John looked away, his hands in his pockets.

"I, uh, think you should talk to Red. He's... he's been watching Born Yesterday over and over again." Even John knew that when Red strayed from the classic horror genre, there was something awry. "I mean---"

"It's not that easy, John."

What would she say? She... she loved him in more ways than one. She loved him as a brother, as a friend, and... possibly even more. She loved him for how much he loved her, how soft he was despite his rough exterior. But...

If she were to be the ruin of that... she would never forgive herself.

"If it was... then it wouldn't be worth it."

Liz looked up and gave John a bittersweet half-smile.

V

Grumbling, Liz swore that if she ever got out of this mess, she was going to rip that insufferable harpy's wings off!

Cold, rushing water was pulling at her clothes, which were so much heavier than she remembered. Liz struggled to keep her head above the water as Hellboy, Abe, and John got farther and farther away. Damn water, damn harpies, and damn New York Winters.

About a half-mile down the river, a fallen tree served as an exhausted refuge for Elizabeth Sherman. She clung to a branch like a cat, trembling and teeth chattering loudly for several minutes. She licked her lips and tasted copper. Vaguely, she recalled the nasty scratch she had gotten on her cheek.

She blinked. Slowly... and each time she closed her eyes, she got a little bit warmer.

"Sparky!"

Brown eyes lifted slightly to see Hellboy on the shore. She smiled and meant to wave, but her arms were not working. She meant to move her mouth and say that she was fine, actually, pretty damn good because she was so warm...

"Dammit, Liz!" Strong arms pulled her out of the water. Red arms. He pulled her close, and for some reason, her body wouldn't stop shaking. "Come on, babe, come on."

Turns out, she was close to dying from hypothermia. Go figure. She was wearing Hellboy's coat on the way home, and they had stopped to get hot chocolate. She was a bit woozy from the warmth, and she leaned on Red. Her skin was still cold, and her breaths still trembled.

"Red?"

"Yeah?"

"When we get home... I'm going to put on my favorite pajamas."

"The black tee shirt with the red flannel bottoms?"

"Yeah. I'm going to put those on, and fall asleep in front of the fire."

"Sounds like a plan. Can I come?"

"You better, Red."

His laughter rumbles deep in his chest, and Liz closes her eyes and listens to his heartbeat.

VI

Liz wakes to the sound of deep breathing. She is naked, and exhausted. Hellboy is next to her, also nude. Her short black hair falls in front of her face as she tilts her head so that she can listen to Red's heartbeat better.

He was... beautiful. Caring... loving... and the best man she knew. His arm held her in place, not to tightly, and not carelessly either. Liz smirked in the dark and kissed his side.

Yellow eyes cracked open. His tail wrapped, which was wrapped around her thigh, gave her a slight squeeze.

"Hey."

"Hey." She moved slightly, so that she could look up at him. "Did I wake you?"

"Nah."

"Liar."

Hellboy grinned sleepily and ruffled her hair.

"Whatever." Liz sat up, stretching. "Hey, Liz?"

"Mmm?"

"You know I love you, right?"

Liz looked over her shoulder at him and smiled.

"Yeah, Red, I know. I love you too."

VII

A/N: The End! Lame, I know, but it's late, the power knocked out my internet, and I felt like it. Read and Review!

-mia


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